2026 kicked off with a wide range of music activity for young people and those that work with them taking place across Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay.
-
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra KS2 Explore the Orchestra introduced over 2,500 children and young people experiencing the thrill of live orchestral music, supporting listening, understanding, and musical curiosity.
- This term's Lead Schools for Music Forum brought colleagues together to share updates, good practice, and priorities for the months ahead.
- Our Visiting Music Teachers Forum provided an opportunity for VMTs to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss ongoing support for young musicians, delivered in partnership with Young Sounds UK.
-
Devon Youth Saxophone Ensemble enjoyed their second ever gathering day and DYJO performed their first concert of the year.
Thank you to all the teachers, music educators, Hub partners, and young people involved in making this work possible. We look forward to what the rest of 2026 will bring.
Schools across the UK are invited to take part in BBC Get Singing, the BBC’s biggest nationwide music education initiative in more than a decade. Launched in January 2026, the campaign aims to reignite a culture of collective singing among young people aged 11–14, responding to a national decline in secondary‑school singing participation.
Available now on BBC Bitesize, the programme offers a vibrant collection of free resources, including newly arranged songs performed by the BBC Singers, video tutorials, vocal warm‑ups, guidance notes, scores and backing tracks — everything teachers need to bring singing back into the classroom with confidence.
With Grammy‑winning artist Jacob Collier as Ambassador and more music, workshops, live events and CPD opportunities rolling out over the next three years, BBC Get Singing is set to inspire thousands of young people nationwide.
Let’s get every young voice in Devon singing — get involved today!
Schools across rural North and Mid Devon are invited to take part in Collaborate & Create: Chulmleigh and Beyond, a vibrant and inclusive singing festival designed to celebrate the creativity, diversity, and unique voices of our young people. This exciting new event offers pupils the chance to come together, learn from one another, and experience the joy of collective music‑making.
A key feature of the festival is its co‑created theme, which will be shaped directly by participating schools. Teachers are warmly invited to a collaborative twilight workshop on Monday 9th March, 4:00–5:00pm, hosted at Chulmleigh College. During this session, schools will share ideas, explore curriculum links, and help craft a festival theme that reflects local identity, cultural aspirations, and the interests of their pupils.
This is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen musical learning, build community connections, and inspire young singers across North and Mid Devon. We hope your school will join us!
Devon Music Education Hub is delighted to share an exclusive 50% ticket offer for the upcoming Celebrity Concert Series: Harry Kneeshaw & Chloe Dumoulin on Thursday 26 February at the Queens Theatre, Barnstaple. Children and young people can access this special rate by using the promo code 50QUEENS when booking.
The programme features an outstanding selection of works for violin and piano, including Brahms’ Scherzo from the FAE Sonata, Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata, Debussy’s Violin Sonata, and Elgar’s Sonata in E minor, Op. 82.
Looking to boost your confidence in delivering inclusive music experiences for younger children? This is the event for you!
Led by specialists Margareta Burrell, Steve Grocott & Charlotte Gibbs, this inspiring day, suitable for anyone working early childhood education, will help you make music accessible for every child...
✅ Practical, hands-on workshops
✅ Creative strategies for singing, moving & playing
✅ Ideas you can use immediately
✅ Networking with passionate educators
📅 Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026
📍 Location: Future Skills Centre, Exeter
We are delighted to invite young musicians from across Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay to represent Devon Music Education Hub on our Summer Concert Tour to one of France’s most beautiful regions.
Originally planned as a trip for members of Devon Youth Choir, Devon Youth Chamber Brass, Devon County Youth Brass Band, we're opening up this exciting opportunity to ALL intermediate and advanced young singers and instrumentalists (band or orchestral instruments) of secondary school age (11–18) in July 2026. You don’t need to already be part of a Hub-supported activity or County Group to take part - a tour choir and band/orchestra will be formed out of those that sign up, and if you can sing and play an instrument, you can do both!
This promises to be a memorable and enriching experience for all of the young musicians involved offering them the opportunity to:
- Perform in beautiful concert venues across Brittany
- Collaborate and bond with fellow young musicians
- Immerse themselves in French culture and hospitality
- Grow musically and personally through travel and performance
Working with OneStage Specialist Concert Tours (ABTA and ATOL registered), we will travel by executive coach and ferry, staying half-board at the welcoming Ethic Etapes Youth Hostel in St Malo. The itinerary includes three concerts, cultural excursions, and time to enjoy the Breton landscape. Travel will be Plymouth–Roscoff outbound and Cherbourg–Poole return, with onward coach to Exeter.
While the itinerary is still being finalised and may be subject to change, our current plan is to depart on the morning of Friday 17 July and return late on Tuesday 21 July. Although these dates fall within the official school term, we understand that many schools are choosing to conclude the academic year earlier than the dates set by Local Authorities. Where absence from school is required, we will write to your Headteacher to request this, but you will need to follow your school’s normal process. The tour will be fully supervised by experienced staff, following Devon County Council’s safeguarding and educational visit procedures.
Please note that the total cost for the tour is £750. This includes travel, half board accommodation, and all excursions, and can be as lump sum or in instalments. If your family is experiencing financial difficulties and you believe cost will be a barrier to your child’s participation, please contact us to discuss your situation.
Plymouth City Centre, Plymouth Culture, and Plymouth Music CIC are looking for 8 talented young music acts to become the Sound of Plymouth City Centre in Summer 2026!
If you’re a solo music performer or a band aged 16-25, this is your chance to perform live as supporting acts at the new Amphitheatre Space, right in the heart of the city, and take part in a unique artist development opportunity, where you’ll get to record, mix, and release a single while gaining real industry experience and support.
 Applications close on 16 February 202
We are thrilled to announce that Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Devon Music Education Conference.
Our 2026 theme, Raising Aspirations and Breaking Down Barriers to Music Education, aligns powerfully with Kadiatu’s work as a leading advocate for accessibility, creativity, and inclusion in music education.
Kadiatu is an award‑winning author and a former lecturer at the University of Birmingham. Her memoir House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Storytelling Award and the Indie Book Awards Non‑Fiction Prize. She is also the mother of seven exceptionally gifted classical musicians, the globally recognised The Kanneh-Masons, who have been the subject of multiple documentaries and celebrated for reshaping the landscape of classical music in the UK.
A passionate champion for widening participation, diversity, and opportunity in the arts, Kadiatu brings a wealth of experience and inspiration—making her the perfect keynote voice for our mission this year.
Join us at Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre on Friday 15 May for Devon Music Education Conference 2026. Sponsored by Charanga and supported by ABRSM and Music Teacher Magazine.
Your school contribution of £95 will include a full day of CPD from local, regional and national providers as well as a delicious lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
We also have a very limited number of funded places remaining for self-employed Visiting Music Teachers working in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay – contact us for details!
📅 Date: Friday 15 May 2026
📍 Location: Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre
Studying GCSE Music offers young people a powerful combination of creative, academic and personal benefits. Music education has been shown to increase confidence and self‑esteem, supporting wider learning across the curriculum. It also improves health and wellbeing, reducing stress and promoting a sense of happiness and belonging. Through making music, students develop vital life and social skills, including teamwork, concentration and active listening.
Music also strengthens creativity and self-expression, helping learners think differently and unlock their potential. Importantly, research shows that learning an instrument can enhance cognition, literacy and numeracy, supporting long‑term academic success.
To help students and families explore these benefits, Devon Music Education Hub offers a suite of Why Music? resources, created in partnership with Wiltshire Music Connect. These include printable flyers on GCSE Music, transition to secondary school and music careers, as well as an engaging video resource explaining why music matters.
Devon Music Education Hub is seeking passionate, skilled, and community‑minded volunteers to join the Devon Music Education Hub Advisory Board and help shape the future of music education across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
As the region’s designated Hub Lead Organisation, Devon County Council works with schools, music educators and partners to deliver the government’s National Plan for Music Education. Strong, diverse governance is essential—and that’s where you come in.
We’re looking for people who:
- Believe in the power of music to transform young people’s lives
- Bring professional insight, lived experience, or specialist expertise
- Can offer constructive challenge, strategic thinking, and support
- Are committed to inclusion, integrity, and championing local communities
No formal qualifications are required. We value lived experience, inclusive practice, and a broad range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from individuals who have faced or overcome barriers to musical participation, as well as young people. Following a recent skills audit, we are especially interested in applicants with experience or knowledge in:
- Early Years, SEND, or alternative provision
- Higher or further education
- Diverse musical genres, including non‑Western traditions
- Professional music‑making or the music industry
- Commercial music sector links
- Marketing or fundraising
- Risk management and sound financial oversight
- Impact measurement in arts and culture
- Understanding of the region and its musical communities
This is a voluntary position. Travel expenses can be reimbursed where needed.
Music & Drama Education Expo
12-13 February | The Business Design Centre, London
Sound Starts: Devon Early Years Music Conference
Tuesday 10 March | Future Skills Centre, Exeter
Online Teach Meets
Wednesday 22 April | Online
Devon Music Education Conference
Friday 15 May | Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre
Battle of the Bands
Wednesday 4 February Plympton Academy, Plymouth FULLY BOOKED
Tuesday 10 February | Torquay Academy FULLY BOOKED
Thursday 12 February | Queen Elizabeth’s School, Crediton FULLY BOOKED
Tuesday 10 March | FINAL! Exeter Phoenix
Royal Marines Band Concert
Saturday 14 February | Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Torbay Music Festival 2026
7-13 March | Torquay Girls Grammar School
National Childrens Orchestra Day
Sunday 8 March | Uffculme School, Cullompton FULLY BOOKED
Music For Youth Local Event
Sunday 22 March | Coombeshead Academy, Newton Abbot
National Youth Jazz Collective Taster Day
Sunday12 April | Exeter (TBC)
Devon County Show
21-23 May | Westpoint Showground, Exeter FULLY BOOKED
Visit our website.
Sign up to this newsletter
Follow us on Facebook Instagram
|
